Unemployment rates across West Midlands show little change
The number of people claiming Universal Credit in Shropshire has dropped but increased slightly in Telford and Wrekin while unemployment rates across the West Midlands remain almost unchanged.
According to the latest data published by the Department for Work and Pensions, there were 4,540 people in Shropshire claiming Universal Credit in October, including 900 18 to 24 year olds and 1,175 over 50s.
Year on year, this represented a five per cent increase among young people but a 13 per cent drop among the 50+ demographic while overall it was a drop of nine per cent, or 460 people compared with October 2024.
In Telford and Wrekin, there were 4,725 people claiming the benefit, including 1,110 aged 18 to 24 and 950 over 50s.This represented a 14 per cent increase among young people and two per cent climb among the over 50s while overall it was an increase of one per cent or 30 people compared to the same month in 2024.
Across the West Midlands region, unemployment among those 16 and over in the three months July to September sat at six per cent, a small drop of just 0.2 per cent on the previous quarter to June 2025.
The data, published by the Office for National Statistics, said the employment rate among those aged 16 to 64 was 73.7 per cent, a climb of 0.1 per cent on the previous quarter.
It said there were 190,000 listed as unemployed, a drop of 5,000 on the previous quarter, while 2.96 million are classed as employed, a small rise from 2.95 million in the previous quarter.
Nationally, the UK unemployment rate for those aged 16 and over was five per cent, a climb from 4.7 per cent on the previous quarter.
Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East and Work and Pensions Secretary, said: "Over 329,000 more people have moved into work this year already but today's figures are exactly why we're stepping up our plan to Get Britain Working.
"We've introduced the most ambitious employment reforms in a generation to modernise jobcentres, expand youth hubs and tackle ill-health through stronger partnerships with employers.
"And this week we're going further by launching an independent investigation that will bolster our drive to ensure all young people are earning or learning.
"We're backing businesses to grow and create jobs by cutting red tape, signing trade deals and securing hundreds of billions in investment which helped make the UK the fastest growing economy in the G7 in the first half of this year."
A campaign launched across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin encourages employers to take advantage of free recruitment support through Jobcentre Plus including job advertising and interview hosting.
Louise Johnson, partnership manager for Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, said: "We invite businesses into our offices to host job fairs and conduct face-to-face interviews, helping them connect directly with the right candidates to fill their vacancies."This is a great opportunity to streamline recruitment and reduce costs whether they have one or many vacancies."
